No street bhangra please

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2004 10:22:07 PM ]

NEW DELHI: Bridegrooms are unlikely to break into a celebratory jig. In a fresh spurt of instructions issued on Monday, the MCD has ordered bands, horse-drawn carriages and wedding processions off the roads. The processions and the mandatory bhangra can, however, continue inside farmhouses.
‘‘We will confiscate the band’s musical instruments and horses if we catch any processions on the roads,’’ said municipal commissioner Rakesh Mehta. According to the proposal, the MCD will allow commercial activities, namely weddings and parties, in farmhouses for a fee of Rs 40,000. Cleared by the L-G last week, it will possibly face a stormy path. In the MCD house meeting on Monday, BJP leader Vijender Gupta raised several objections against the proposal.
‘‘The policy is unclear. For instance, how will it possible for the MCD to curtail usage of the farmhouse for 10 days in a month? That will just give the officials and local police an excuse to extort money,’’ said Gupta.
He added that the commissioner was supposed to submit a report to the MCD standing committee, but he did not. Neither the councillors’ opinion nor theirs was considered while making this policy.
‘‘After all, the MCD has to collect money from these farmhouses yet no one is looking at the practical possibility of collecting money and keeping a check on the licensing,’’ Gupta said.